Police: Middletown woman throws tantrum at elementary school after child is kicked off bus

LAUREN SIEVERT

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, June 13, 2012

MIDDLETOWN -- A city woman was charged with breach of peace after allegedly causing a disturbance and frightening children at Bielefield Elementary School, police report.

Natasha Brathwaite, 34, 42 Summer Hill Road, Middletown, was issued a summons for the charge and she is due in court June 20.

According to police reports, officers responded to the school on June 6 for a reported disturbance around 11:20 a.m. Officers spoke with the principal, who said a staff member had called Brathwaite and informed her that Brathwaite's child would be suspended from the bus for the rest of the school year for causing a disturbance the previous day.

Reportedly, Brathwaite was "very upset" when she heard this and begged the staff not to kick her child off the bus, but the staff member would not negotiate. About 15 minutes after the phone call, Brathwaite showed up in the school's main office and started yelling at the staff and demanding to speak with other people, police said.

When told to wait for the principal, Brathwaite left the office and "stormed off down the hallway" and went into her child's classroom "yelling and swearing," demanding to see her child and yelling an obscenity at school personnel. According to the police report, there were 17 other children in the class who were "very frightened" by Brathwaite's behavior.

Brathwaite allegedly "stormed" back into the office, and when she demanded to speak with the principal and was told the principal was in a meeting, Brathwaite "marched down the hallway and barged right into the principal's office," according to police.

Brathwaite reportedly flipped over a chair and started banging her fist on the desk as she yelled and screamed at the principal. Brathwaite went on yelling for five minutes, then started yelling at her child, saying, "I'm going to tear you up when we get home," according to police.

The principal told Brathwaite he was going to call police, at which time she left the building, police said. Officers were able to locate Brathwaite a short distance from the school, and she denied being out of control, saying she was very calm and polite while picking her child up. Brathwaite reportedly said she was just trying not to have her child kicked off the bus and wanted to work out some other form of punishment. When police informed Brathwaite she was being arrested, Brathwaite reportedly started crying as she yelled and screamed at police, calling the officers racist.